1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to round balers and other baling equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to a bale wrapping control system which enables several custom bale wrapping patterns for more effectively wrapping and maintaining the integrity of bales.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional round balers pick up cut crop from the ground and form it into compacted bales in a bale forming chamber. When a bale reaches a desired size and/or shape, sensors signal a controller that subsequently sends a signal to an operator's panel to instruct the operator to stop forward motion of the baler so that a bale wrapping operation can be performed. Once a bale has been formed and wrapped, it is ejected from the baler so a new bale can be formed and wrapped.
Bale wrapping is typically performed with a twine dispensing arm having one or more twine dispensing tubes and moveable in an arcuate or linear path between the left and right edges of a formed bale. After a bale has been fully formed, the dispensing arm moves the dispensing tubes adjacent the rotating bale so the ends of twine extending from the tubes are caught up in the rotating bale. Once the twine is caught up in the bale, the twine begins to wrap around the rotating bale in a helical pattern as the twine tubes move from one end of the bale to the other. The dispensing arm may periodically dwell in one position so that circular wraps are made at desired bale locations such as near the ends of the bale. After a bale has been adequately wrapped, the dispensing arm retracts to a home or cutoff position to cut the twine.
It is typically desired to minimize the number of twine wraps around a bale to conserve twine and reduce the overall wrapping time. However, some crop material and/or baling conditions require extra wraps to securely maintain the integrity of bales during subsequent handling and storage. For example, short brittle crop has a tendency to break off a bale as it is being formed and wrapped and thus requires extra wraps. Similarly, poorly formed bales (not cylindrical) may require extra wraps and/or special wrapping patterns to prevent twine slippage. Prior art attempts have been made to provide custom bale wrapping patterns to more securely wrap bales; however, known bale wrapping patterns do not adequately wrap bales in many conditions.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved bale wrapping system and method that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.